Pray Big!

We have been busy this past week working on budgets for the coming years..and as human beings we tend to be conservative when it comes our expectations. We all hate feeling disappointed..we put it in a nice way saying "that we neeed to manage expectations" to avoid being hit by a different result (ba3d el shar)!
Even with my kids, when i ask them to swim, read, draw, run..i tend to simplify it and make it doable..i love the feeling that they make it and surely they do too..i cover up for them to make sure they wont fail..!
Thinking about it, i found that this is happening in our spiritual life too(at least mine). How many times we have Held ourselves from BOLD BIG PRAYERS...how many times, we put barriers for what we can bring to Him. I think the fear that our prayers wont be answered leads us to "manage expectations" with God. This means we ask for less, expect less, and satisfied with less because we are afraid to be disappointed and lose our faith in Him!

BuT JESUS said loud and clear in Luke 
"What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him! (Luke 11:11, 13)

This leads to a question we can not escape: Does God really give His children what He promised? Does He keep His promises or not? Do my prayers and actions give evidence to my belief?

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray today for faith..i pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my words and prayers, align them to your will, make me live knowing that i can bring EVERYTHING TO YOU in prayer..and believe these words "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. (فيلبي Philippians 4:6)". Amen

Be BOLD my friends!

A child's art...in an office!

I remember well one day going in the office of one of the directors of our company..he had a wall deocrated with a painting..not really artistic i would say, but it had the center piece of His wall...it was too loud in colors, uneven lines, zigzags, too much contrast..with lots of dark tones and cheerful colors..mel akher keda (7aga 3ak shwaya)! But knowing the dutch and their love of paintings, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh..i was sure it was something worth the value to be in this Big Director's office! Frankly, couldnt hold myself and asked him, what's that special painting? He looked with bright eyes and said it is the most expensive piece he has in his collection, he couldnt even tell me its price..i asked about the painter. He told me "it was made for me by my 5 years old son...just before passing away"!

With a shock silencing me, i just then realized that the value of the painting is not in not in its beauty, but rather in the one who made it...it is the painter that gave it the value it has...it is the love behind it that makes it priceless...no matter what critics say, no matter what people think...its value for this father is priceless.

Dear Heavenly Father, i thank you that my value is not in who I am or what I do..no matter what i do, how i fall, how i win, or lose...my value is in my creator...I thank you i am priceless in your eyes, i am priceless because YOU MADE ME and GIVE ME VALUE! Keep me walking in your love, in Jesus name! Amen!

The User Guide..that we ignore!

Manuals or "el catalogue"..how many of you hate reading them? I am sure you do the same, you get a camera or a new gadget, you open it, charge and here we go.."lessa hano3d ne2ra..maho shagahl aho..bos keda..aho..sahla awy..bala catalogue balla yahzanoun (by the way i never understood yahzanoun dih)" and then suddenly one day, wa7ed men elli ara el catalogue yesabetak be shwayet tricks we options..things you wanted to do men zaman but you just did 10 other things and never was able to get this option work! Latest live example i had was this HDR option fel iphone..lamma shams teb2a darba fi weshak..ekhtera3 ya m3alem!

Exactly in prayer life, I feel that we decided to do it yalla nafsy..kelma men hena..kelmetein men hena..we aho shagal..but when we read el catalogue...WOW..a whole new world of options is unfolding in front of our own eyes..! What..seriously can prayers heal , bring light, get me whole again, crash fear, increase hope, strengthen faith, raise dead people ( read it in acts 9:40) and CHANGE the world..at least my small world around me!

Dear God...I pray today for getting more and more of You in prayer..i want this Christianity i read in your Catalogue/Bible..I want this power...i want it ALL....FULL OPTIONS PRAYER POWER! Dont keep me living with the (on and off buttons)...Amen!

A Church-Goer Look!

Shaklo bta3 kenissa! Aywa homma byeb2o keda..3arfo, mezzayet..me2afel…rekhem..ka2ib…out of style..mawadi3 moumela..maloush fel action!..dah gheir phisically tab3an..adim awy!

Funny enough we do not like sticking Labels to people based on their gender, skin colors, race, but when it comes to active believers/church Goers..La2 sibhomli dol..We start tagging all annoying negative thoughts to them! There is part of truth in it..the so called Church goers might have closed in on their selves so much that they lost touch with their entourage. I know that during teenage and twenties and even later, you try avoiding getting that label..Coz it is simply turning off (Yefsel elli oddmak) once you mention you are a Faithful Believer Church Goer Taranim Listener!! You know, you can change this image yourself, I have seen people killing this stereotype..Seeing Hillsong and their likes..The youth that lead the worship are so amazingly inspiring..and they are magnets for millions of others..in Egypt too, this notion is changing, look at Emmanuel Egypt, Better Life Junior, Edge Camp…If you wanna change this negative image, start yourself..you will pull others with you!

I leave you with this amazing Praise from Hillsong..a band that knows how to be linked with God and be Contemporary..ya3ni mesh da2a adima..

Have a Great Blessed weekend..ya mzayeteeen